


Legitimacy

by BubbaKnowlton



Series: Evil Space Dads [82]
Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Childbirth, Crying, Emperor Hux, Happy Ending, M/M, Male Lactation, Misunderstandings, Mpreg, Pining, Senator's son Ben Organa, mpreg Hux
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-02
Updated: 2018-01-02
Packaged: 2019-02-26 15:39:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,484
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13238844
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BubbaKnowlton/pseuds/BubbaKnowlton
Summary: Hux felt nervous as he started a recording, not trusting himself to admit it if he just called through a hologram. He put a hand over his belly and took a deep breath, and then hit start. "Ben Organa, I want you to marry me. I'm pregnant with your children and I'd like to legitimize them, and allow you to be involved if you choose to. It's twins, as you can tell by the fact that I'm already showing."-When Ben rejects his proposal due to a misunderstanding, Hux must go through his pregnancy with just the help of two overly controlling OB/GYN droids. Ben realizes his mistake, but finds it difficult to reach Hux before the twins are born with the droids blocking his every attempt in order to protect the Emperor from his greatest source of stress.





	Legitimacy

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is not compliant with TLJ  
> Finally I finish this bad boy lmao  
> I love the droid OCs I made for this so much, they were so fun to write n I hope you guys like Hux and his little midwife droids too

**Legitimacy**

The medic looked very nervous, holding onto their datapad tightly, refusing to meet his eyes. Hux scowled from where he sat on the examination table. This was wasting his time, he had a meeting to get to, and then a private one with a representative from Naboo about potentially signing over to the First Order Empire, and countless other things that needed his attention throughout the day. 

"Well? What illness do I have?" He'd been nauseous during the night and mornings for weeks now, but he'd been vomiting the past few days, and the nausea would wash over him throughout the day. It was affecting his work when he had to stop and focus on not losing the contents of his stomach. He'd had to excuse himself from a meeting the day before so that he wouldn't throw up in front of his subjects. That had been when he decided he needed to see a doctor.

"No illness, Emperor." The medic said.

"How can I not be ill? I've been experiencing nausea for weeks, throwing up- I'm constantly fatigued and my abdomen has bloated noticeably." He'd been able to hide the weight gain with jackets, but in things like his sleep clothes, the new roundness was clear.

"It's not a sickness, Emperor. You're pregnant."

"Oh." 

"Do you know who the father is?"

There was only one person he'd ever had sex with. "Yes, unfortunately. Is there any way I can calm the nausea?"

"Certain types of medicines and teas can lessen it. A HoloNet search should yield answers. I'd recommend that you get more rest and eat healthier, sir. Perhaps buy a medical droid that specializes in pregnancy."

"Put in an order for one. Make sure it's not a poor quality one, and not a midwife droid."

"Yes, Emperor. If you'd like, we can perform a scan to see how large the embryo is."

"Might as well." Hux laid back down, and the medic brought up the device. After scanning, the device emitted a hologram. 

There were two masses displayed in it. "It's twins, Emperor."

Considering who the father was, it wasn't a surprise. "Do be quick in ordering that droid. I'm going to need it."

"Yes, sir!"

-

The droid was a cheerful thing that announced itself with, "I am OB/GYN Unit 04, how may I assist you?" when he walked into his bedroom. It startled him, and his hand went to his chest.

"Stars!"

The droid hovered over to him, clapping its hands together. "Hello! Are you my new client?"

"Y-yes. I'm Emperor Armitage Hux. You will refer to me as Emperor or Sir."

"Of course, Emperor! You may call me whatever you like, I know my name is long." He wasn't one for giving a droid nicknames, but it would be clear to anyone that he was pregnant if he called out for an OB/GYN unit, or the droid introduced itself.

"Oh-4, then." Oh-4 looked pleased with its new name. "I'm expecting twins, they're mostly human."

"How delightful! I will do my best to care for you and your twins, sir. I serve as a medic and will serve as a midwife when your twins enter the galaxy." He'd told the medic not to get a midwife droid. Irritating, but this looked like an excellent model, so it must have been a 2-in-1 deal. "Your normal medic said that you are having trouble with morning sickness, so I picked up some tea for you while you were busy today. Shall I make it for you?"

"I'll make it myself." Oh-4 handed over a tea bag to him.

The tea definitely helped. Oh-4 took a blood sample from him as he relaxed, before announcing, "You are low on nutrients! I will create a proper diet for you and send it to the kitchens. It is important to give your twins a good start, even before birth. Are you aware of things you are not supposed to take in during pregnancy?"

"No alcohol, right?"

Oh-4 launched into a long list of things to avoid, both completely, and things to only have on occasion. He was distressed to hear that caf was on the list.

"I need caf."

"Don't worry! As long as you get plenty of rest and healthy meals, you'll have all the energy you need!"

Hux sighed, already dreading the upcoming months. He needed an heir, so it would be worth it, at least.

"Is there a father?" Oh-4 asked. "I'd like to relay the instructions to them as well!"

"He's not here now. I intend to tell him and have him come here and marry me to legitimize the children, but it's tentative."

-

Hux felt nervous as he started a recording, not trusting himself to admit it if he just called through a hologram. He put a hand over his belly and took a deep breath, and then hit start. "Ben Organa, I want you to marry me. I'm pregnant with your children and I'd like to legitimize them, and allow you to be involved if you choose to. It's twins, as you can tell by the fact that I'm already showing." Hux turned a bit so his small bump was visible. He'd put on a tight shirt to show off in case Ben didn't believe him. "They were conceived at our last... meeting, around nine weeks ago. I hope you will consider my proposal, and I await your response. Good day." He stopped the recording and sent it.

Oh-4 hovered off to the side. "Ben Organa?"

"Senator Leia Organa's son, formally Ben Solo. We're bitter enemies who have sex occasionally when we clash." He started having doubts. "He might not accept... Or want the twins. I've been in love with him for a while, but he's never shown anything other than hate for me." Things started to crash down. "If he doesn't accept, I'm going to have to do this by myself... Stars, I don't know if I can do this..."

Oh-4 tried to soothe him, "You are not alone! You have me, and everyone else here. Of course you can do this."

"Thank you, Oh-4. You're right."

"I am sure Ben Organa will accept!"

Hux nodded. "He's noble, I'm sure he'll at least be there for the children even if he hates me."

-

Ben received the hologram when he came back from a rather infuriating meeting with a senator in place of his mother. He scowled seeing it was from Hux, but hit play anyways. He listened to the first eight words and then smashed it, growling.

He sent back a message over his commlink, "Absolutely not, the thought is abhorrent to me. I want nothing to do with you, or anything involving you." He sent the message and then dropped onto his bed, feeling even worse. He couldn't imagine why Hux thought it would be a good idea to marry him. They hated each other, and would probably end up hurting each other physically. Hux must have either finally lost it, or was joking.

-

Hux hit play as soon as he saw the message was from Ben, anxiety pooling in his stomach. Oh-4 hovered next to him, listening as well.

As the message played, Hux felt his heart drop. Of course Ben wouldn't want to be a part of the twins' lives, he was foolish to think there was a chance. Foolish to think that if Ben accepted, maybe the man would come to return his feelings for him. 

"Oh, sir, do not cry!" Oh-4 pushed closer to him and angled his face up. Hux hadn't even noticed he was crying. "You don't need him."

"I- I really thought he'd accept-"

"He sounds like a mean man. You are better off without him! It will be alright, you have the palace staff, and me, too! You could also have my companion!"

"Your companion?"

"I come with a smaller OB/GYN unit! It is still in my box. I will go start it up." Oh-4 zoomed off to the side of the room. It pulled out a large box and then reached inside to pull out a much smaller droid. Oh-4 placed it on the floor, and then turned it on. It whirred to life, and began hovering too.

"Hello, companion!" Oh-4 said to it.

"Hello, companion!" the smaller droid replied.

Hux regretted not stopping it already. Oh-4 brought the little droid over to him. "This is our master, Emperor Armitage Hux! We are to call him Emperor or Sir! I am to be called Oh-4!"

"Hello, Emperor! I am Mini OB/GYN Unit 04! I assist my companion with tasks, fetch supplies, and take vitals during delivery. You may call me whatever you like, I know my name is long."

"Um... Mini, then."

"Delightful!"

"Hello, Mini!"

"Hello, Oh-4!"

He really regretted asking for them.

-

Despite being annoyingly cheerful, the droids were useful. They did a complete takeover of his daily schedule, making sure that he never had an overbearing amount of work, and assigned strict resting and eating periods. They could not be swayed from their decisions and he felt well-rested and less stressed because of it. He ate healthy, and they moved eating periods based on his symptoms day to day. If he was too sick in the morning to eat, they'd shift all his meals over and give him extra vitamins.

Mini would accompany him if he was in a meeting or surrounded by a large group of people, as its appearance was like a plain assistant droid. It got the hint that it should be discreet, so if a food was offered to him that was unhealthy or dangerous for the babies, it would pop up and say he had an allergy, and stare down the person with its bright optic until they apologized and left.

The twins grew at a steady rate over the next month, and his abdomen swelled much faster than he thought it would. Oh-4 assured him it was perfectly normal and that it was expected that he would show more because of how thin he was to begin with. His nausea finally faded away as he entered his second trimester.

Oh-4 informed him that this month was the 'easy' month, where his symptoms would all be relatively mellow.

"And what happens after this month?"

Oh-4 patted his shoulders. "We will tackle that hurdle once we get there!"

"...Oh-4."

Mini tried to intervene. "It will be fine! We are here!"

"Yes, we are here, Sir! Also, we have a new vitamin for you to take to help your blood-"

"-And we insist that you start sleeping the way we told you a month ago, Sir! Sleeping on your left side with a pillow between your legs will help with blood flow to the twins and your organs!"

"I don't want to sleep with a pillow between my legs."

"We will force you to!" Oh-4 warned him, happily.

-

They forced him to, bringing him a comfortable pillow and handling him like a doll when he laid down to sleep. Oh-4 turned him onto his side while Mini placed the pillow. After they were done, they both said, "Hooray!"

He was too tired to fight back, and it felt nice. Oh-4 pulled a blanket over him, and patted his head. "Goodnight, Emperor!"

"Goodnight, Sir!"

-

The twins started moving during his eighteenth week, which Mini explained was called 'quickening'. They wouldn't kick for another month or so, but the fluttering feeling he complained to the droid about was them shifting around.

It was rather obvious to anyone that saw him that he was expecting, his belly swollen in front of him, but luckily no one was brave enough to mention anything. However, he had received a few gifts. One unmarked gift was sitting on his table, along with a letter and package from Senator Organa.

He wanted to put off opening Organa's gift, but if there was any sort of food inside of it, it would spoil, and his other gifts had contained treats. He opened the unmarked gift first. He allowed Oh-4 to scan it, in case there was anything dangerous inside. The droid deemed it perfectly safe.

There was a datachip inside of it that when he plugged it in, opened to a nanny droid holosite. A message popped up, 'Since you'll be needing one, for sure.' He scowled, pulling out the chip and dropping it into the trash. He could take care of the twins just fine himself. There was a flimsi letter inside as well, and he recognized the handwriting immediately.

His father, of course. Exactly as one would expect from the man, it was all about how it was unbecoming of an Emperor to have an illegitimate child, how of course he'd end up bearing a bastard just like his mother did. 

He ripped the message up and discarded it. It wasn't his fault Ben Organa refused to marry him. He couldn't force him to. Couldn't force him to love him.

As he opened the letter from Organa, Mini grabbed the pieces of the letter and looked at them with Oh-4. They made sure to throw it out again once they finished reading it. Oh-4 patted his back, slowing down to rub between his shoulder blades in comfort.

He wished that was Ben's hand.

Leia Organa's message consisted of an apology for her son's behavior. She had apparently found the message as well, and confronted Ben about it, but he refused to listen to her and stayed firm in his rejection of Hux's proposal. Although she didn't like Hux at all, she hadn't raised her son to be a man who didn't take responsibility for his children. Both her and her estranged husband had been firm in telling him as he grew up that if he ever had children, he was to be there for them, because that was where everyone else in their family had gone wrong and where the whole Skywalker misfortune began.

Not a comforting thought that his twins were cursed by the Force if they inherited their father's powers. At least it seemed that the Force would ensure that he would bring his children into the galaxy, and that they would survive to adulthood. 

He rubbed his belly and put the letter down. While his father's letter had given him an angry sadness, this one brought on a draining, tired sadness. Ben was insistent on not being there for the twins, he'd never change his mind. A depressing thought.

Mini joined in trying to comfort him, by gently patting his arm and saying, "There there," softly. 

He opened up the package and found another note inside, along with something wrapped in colored flimsi. Wasteful. He took out each piece and smoothed it out. He could use them for something. In the middle of the flimsi were two bracelets. They were beautiful, with polished jewels lining them, of green and blue, held together by delicate spindles of silver, with a main piece of some sort of crystal. He realized they were kyber crystals. One was tinted green, the other blue.

He'd been sent jewelry before, despite his not wearing any, expensive, elaborate things, but these two simple bracelets felt more special than any of those previous gifts.

The note informed him that the bracelets were from Naboo. The Naberrie house had made her one when she was expecting Ben, so that she could gift it to him when he was older. These were for his twins, for him to wear until they were old enough to have them.

They were the most meaningful gifts anyone had ever given him, gifts that had thought put into them instead of being things to try and win his favor. He wasn't one for jewelry, but he put them both on. They weren't bothersome at all, much to his surprise. The backs of the jewels were soft and smooth.

The babies squirmed inside of him, and he wondered if they could sense the crystals.

-

Two weeks after Senator Organa sent him the bracelets, he saw Ben again. It was a gala, and he'd finally told someone out loud that he was expecting when they asked how soon he was due.

"In four months."

"Really?"

"Yes, it's twins."

"Oh, congratulations, Emperor! I wish you the best of luck. Will you reveal the father?"

"No. He has no desire to be associated with myself or them, so I will leave him be."

Mini hovered over, holding a glass. "Here is a glass of water for you, Sir!" He took the glass. "My apologies for taking so long, I had to go all the way to the kitchen!"

"That's alright, Mini."

After that, he'd been receiving lots of congratulations on his future heirs. Mini dragged him off to sit, annoyed every time he had to stop and listen to someone. If it had a real face, he was sure it would be pouting.

Before he could make it to the table, Ben Organa approached him, a smirk on his face. He instantly felt depressed. Was he coming to reject him to his face, make fun of him? He'd been getting rather emotional the past few weeks, it'd be humiliating if Ben reduced him to tears in front of a room full of important people. It was awful enough that his droids had seen him cry when he reread Organa's letter.

He frowned as Ben stepped in front of him. He hated how the mere two inches Ben had on him allowed the man to tower over him. Mini hovered at his shoulder, eye optics shutting partially off to give it an angry appearance. The droid tugged at his sleeve. "Come on, Sir."

"Is that my baby, Hux?"

"You've made it perfectly clear twice now that they're not. You said you wanted nothing to do with the twins, so leave us be." Ben's face was pure confusion. Mini tugged again, and Hux went along. "Mini, I'm tired."

"Let's go to your rooms, Sir! Rest is important for the twins."

-

He held back tears as they walked to the room, and as soon as they were in the room, he climbed onto the bed and hugged a pillow to bury his face in. Oh-4 hovered over and pulled off his shoes, setting them carefully next to the bed. "Mini, what happened?" Mini chirped to it in droid speech. "Oh my!"

As he sobbed into the pillow, Oh-4 rubbed his back. Mini zoomed off and then came back, hovering quietly by its companion's shoulder. "Poor Emperor! Ben Organa is truly an awful man. You do not need to concern yourself with him."

The droid wouldn't understand that despite everything, he wanted Ben to love him and the twins. He wanted Ben to be an active father, and his husband. His mind had come up with some noble, loving image of the man, only amplified to be better than ever with his pregnancy hormones, and the real one was nothing like it.

"Emperor, I think I know exactly what you need to forget all about that awful man for a while!" He reluctantly pulled down the pillow so he could look up at the droid. "You need a day to relax! To rest and ignore the rest of the galaxy, while doing everything to get you as comfortable as possible!"

Mini chirped in approval. "Yes!"

He didn't like the idea. Just laying around and doing nothing would provide only more time to dwell on Ben. Oh-4 continued, "You could take a nice, warm bath, and have a nice massage. I know your back is very sore-"

The droid stopped when he buried his face back in the pillow, sobbing anew. He wanted Ben to be taking care of him, not these droids. Ben should have been the one offering a hot bath and massage, not two droids programmed to try and keep him comfortable and healthy.

"Perhaps that is not the best idea, then, Sir. Our apologies!"

"Our apologies, sir!"

-

As soon as he had returned home, Ben immediately went to his mother. Seeing Hux like that had startled him. He hadn't seen Hux in months, he certainly didn't expect to see him pregnant, of all things. And everyone at the gathering had been glaring at him afterwards, like he was an awful person.

He'd asked a genuine question. Hux's response had confused him. He'd never known the Emperor was pregnant, how could he have said he wanted nothing to do with the babies? Hux certainly hadn't ever told him. Unless...

Hux's message asking for marriage made sense. Perhaps if he had listened to the whole thing, Hux would have mentioned it. It also made sense as to why his mother had seemed angry when he refused to marry Hux when she told him to. She'd said something about how that was where all Skywalker and Solo men went wrong, and he hadn't understood.

Maybe if Hux had told him face to face, then there wouldn't be such a misunderstanding between them. He vaguely remembered sending a rude message back to Hux. If Hux had mentioned the pregnancy in his, then he could see how he would assume that he wanted nothing to do with the children.

This was the exact kind of thing he could see his own father doing, and hated it. He needed to find the original message and talk to Hux. His mother had to have a copy, if she knew all about it.

"Mother?" Her office door was open, but he knocked anyways.

"Come in, Ben!"

Entering, he could see she was looking at a holosite. A gossip one, and it was showing a video of he and Hux at the gathering. It'd only been two hours, and there was already an article about it. There was a picture beneath it of Hux walking away, a close up on his face that showed he looked like he was trying his hardest not to cry.

He felt bad, looking at the picture. Sure, he didn't like Hux much, but he didn't want to make the man cry.

His mother was giving him an unhappy look. "Ben. What's the meaning of this? I know you don't like Hux, but to purposefully go and antagonize him-"

"I didn't know he was pregnant until two hours ago!"

She stared at him, confused. "What...? He sent you a message. I told you."

"I didn't watch the whole message, and you were being very vague. Where's that original message?"

Leia brought it out. Ben plugged it into her holoprojector and the little hologram of Hux popped up. " _Ben Organa, I want you to marry me._ " Ben paused it.

"That's all I watched."

"Oh, Ben..." Leia shook her head. "You have to finish watching this and send him a real response."

"I will!" He resumed the hologram. 

" _I'm pregnant with your children..._ " If he had actually listened to it for just another second, he wouldn't be in this mess. He watched the rest of the message. Hux clearly explained he was expecting twins, and Ben felt awful. There was no other way to interpret his response other than a cruel rejection after a clear explanation. 

"Kriff... I'm a screw up. He's never going to believe me if I apologize."

"Apologize anyways. Send him a message. If you talk to him face to face he might think you're trying to humiliate him."

-

He spent a while trying to think of what he could write, and then decided he'd just go simple and explain what had happened without any flourish. 

It just said that he'd only watched the first few seconds, had been in a bad mood and been under the impression they both hated each other, and that he was sorry for it and would like to be involved if he allowed him to. 

Hux quickly responded, though it wasn't him that wrote it.

_Stop contacting the Emperor and leave him alone. All you do is make him upset and stressed, even when you're not here, so don't bother him at all. It makes our job in keeping him healthy and comfortable harder, which directly affects the well-being of the twins he is carrying.  
-OB/GYN Unit 04 and Mini OB/GYN Unit 04_

The droids were intercepting Hux's messages, then. He wondered if there was a way around it. Surely the manufacturer would provide the code the droids used to redirect messages in case someone didn't want that. 

He searched the droids up on the HoloNet and found that they were a brand that was no longer being made and were on a clearance sale with no refunds. The reviews all said the droids were obsessive and controlling, and an absolute terror to deal with if you weren't the mother and didn't listen to them exactly. However, the droids did do their jobs and had delivered many healthy babies, and were very caring to the mothers they served. Every review recommended them to single mothers, as long as they didn't have close friends the droids could hate.

They were fairly cheap, so Ben guessed Hux had just sent some officer to order the first one he saw that wasn't a fortune.

The manufacturer was dead, so he couldn't find out what the code they used was. He'd have to find some way to get the message past them.

Eventually, he simply sent the message to one of Hux's officers and told them to deliver it to Hux in person, that it was urgent, and not to say who sent it. That way, the droids couldn't get at it before Hux finished reading it.

Within an hour, he got his response. Again, from the droids.

_How dare you send your message to the Emperor! He was finally calming down and you made him feel even worse with your awful lies! Do not attempt to contact him again. It's taking a physical toll on him and he doesn't want to eat.  
-OB/GYN Unit 04 and Mini OB/GYN Unit 04_

-

Hux couldn't stop crying and he hated himself for it. He knew his hormones were to blame, but it was absolutely pathetic. The droids were cooing over him, wiping his face, offering him sips of cold water and some chip snacks to keep his sodium and hydration levels up. He took the chips, simply because they were like eating air and didn't make him feel sick, but denied offers of eating anything else. The droids were worried, telling him he and the twins couldn't just live off of water and chips.

That only made him feel worse, that his pathetic crying was endangering his babies' wellbeing. Ben was trying to make a fool out of him, and he was succeeding entirely. The droids had apparently blocked the message when it was originally sent, but Ben was cruel enough to get it to him anyways.

He was grateful for them for trying to protect him. At times they were controlling, but now he could see that they were controlling for a good reason. He'd been calmed down and ready to eat a full meal before the officer handed him the message, and now he was a wreck. If they'd been able to catch it and discard the message, he'd be able to take care of the twins properly.

"There, there, Emperor, calm down..." Oh-4 wiped his face clean with a cool cloth. "Would you like a nutrient injection for the twins?" He nodded, and Mini zipped off to get one. At least he'd be able to keep the twins healthy now.

-

Ben felt terrible for making Hux even more upset, and his guilt chased him all the way into his dreams that night. The Force must have willed it, because he could immediately tell he was in Hux's dream. Hux was dreaming about his palace, and what appeared to be his bedroom. Ben had never been in it before. There was a section in the large room that looked like a nursery. Hux was trying to fold up a soft green blanket to hang on the side of a crib, but it kept coming out crooked. 

Ben walked up behind him and put his arms around him to help him fold it. Hux stiffened. It came out perfect, so he hung it up. He guessed the dream was supposed to be one where he'd be the perfect husband and Hux would be happy, what could have been if they weren't so bad at communicating with each other.

"...Ben?"

He glanced at the window to see how light it was. There was a clock between two of them. "Good morning, Hux. How are you feeling?" Hux turned around to look at him. He was in disbelief.

"Am I dreaming?"

"Yes. But we should make the most of it before you wake up, don't you think?"

Hux nodded. "Of course."

"Where would you like to go?"

After a moment's hesitation, Hux answered, "To the throne room. I'd like to dance with you."

Taking Hux's hand, Ben lead him out of the bedroom. He'd never been in the Emperor's palace, but it was rather nice. It wasn't too extravagant, mostly sleek, like the aesthetic one would see on a warship. The dream led him to the room without any issue. There were no other people in the dream, and no sign of the droids.

He supposed that if he had shown up, Hux would have never ordered them, or would have sent them back.

The throne room was more extravagant than the rest of the palace, with fine but simplistic decorations, but was mostly vast and empty. Hux's throne was simple, on a raised platform. It was black metal, with a silver First Order symbol inlaid in it. It had a thin cushion attached to it, with a few red pillows on top of that. Hux's crown was in the center, a small black circlet. A large flag was displayed on each wall.

They walked out into the room, and Ben faced Hux. He wasn't sure how Hux wanted to do this, so he let Hux chose their forms. Hux gave him the lead position, refusing to look at him. He was frowning.

Ben tilted his chin up, "What's wrong?"

"You're not real."

He was, but he couldn't let Hux know that. "That doesn't mean we can't have a nice time before you wake up and have to deal with the droids."

"Oh-4 and Mini aren't that bad." Ben gave him a look. "They're a bit controlling, I'll admit, but they're helping me. The twins are developing perfectly thanks to them, even though I'm being horrible lately. I can't eat or sleep properly, and I can't stop crying. The droids have been giving me injections and pills to combat all of that."

Ben started a slow dance, and Hux went along with it. "You're doing your best, I'm sure."

"That's kind of you to say, but you're wrong. I can't bring myself to let go of my feelings for the real you, which is what's causing all of this. It's so ridiculous-" Hux gave a forced laugh. "I made up this image of Ben, you, the perfect husband and father, who's noble and strong and kind to me, but the real Ben hates me and would never be nice to me. I'd tell him I'm in love with him, but he'd just reject me, and I don't think it'd be healthy for me to deal with that. After the twins are born, maybe."

"Maybe you should try talking to me again." Everything seemed so nice here, he could be that perfect image for Hux if it meant this.

Hux ignored him. "What am I even going to do once the twins are born? They're going to be Force sensitive like Ben, I don't even know how to take care of a baby, much less two at once. How am I supposed to take care of two Force sensitive babies by myself? I don't know how to be a parent. My mother died, my stepmother refused to acknowledge me, and my father beat me and tried to turn me into an emotionless drone!"

Ben slowed the dance. Hux kept going, taking this chance to vent. "I don't want to set them up with a nanny droid, but it looks like I'll have to. You know, when I sent my first message to the real Ben, I let myself daydream about what it'd be like to raise the twins with him. If he was you, I wouldn't be so worried about this. You wouldn't let me turn out like my parents, since yours were great."

He didn't really agree, but couldn't say otherwise. Hux squeezed his hand. "Senator Organa has been sending me letters. Her politics are atrocious, but she's so nice! She sent me actual, meaningful gifts for the twins when they're grown. She even tried to talk to Ben for me! No one's ever done that for me without wanting something in return."

Their dance slowed to a halt. Hux didn't seem to care. "I think the twins will hate me."

"Why?"

"I don't know. Why shouldn't they? I'll just be their pathetic, Force-null mother who couldn't get over his first love and emotionally destroyed himself."

"You're more than that. They'll think you're amazing, and rightfully so." Hux gave a small laugh at that, shaking his head,

"You know how you're most different from the real Ben? You complimented me. Ben has never done that. He just insults me. I put up with it because I get a chance to be close to him and pretend we're secret lovers. Isn't that pathetic? It's not secret that we used to have sex. Ben just did it because it was sex with a willing partner. I used to pretend we were only acting like we hated each other to hide our relationship. It made me feel better. It's a pity I managed to convince myself to get attached to the fake Ben I came up with."

He didn't want to know this. It just made him feel worse. Who could put up with something like that for years and not end up breaking apart? "I see." He couldn't think of anything to say. He wanted to hug him, but restrained himself.

"Since you're the fake Ben, can we do things together the real Ben wouldn't do?"

"Whatever you want."

"Okay. Since you're already in a First Order outfit, this will work perfectly. I had something made for you a long time ago, because of how sentimental I can be. It's in my throne." Hux pulled him to the throne. He picked up his crown and put it on. He pried off the cushion on the throne and pulled it up. There was a keypad. "The code is your birthday." He typed it in, and a panel slid open. Hux pulled out another circlet and a small box.

The circlet was silver, and Hux put it on him. He opened the box and pulled out two matching rings. He slipped one onto his own finger before putting the other on Ben's. They were simple black rings, just a band of metal. It fit perfectly, and he wondered how Hux had gotten his size. 

Hux looked pleased. Ben figured they were going to play out some of Hux's fantasies. He closed the compartment and tucked the cushion back into place. He arranged the pillows, and then sat down on the throne. After adjusting one of the pillows, Hux looked content. His legs were partially spread to make it comfortable for his belly, and he rested a hand on top of it. "Kneel down in front of me."

He did, and then looked up at Hux for the next instruction. "What next?"

"Give some attention to the twins." Ben wondered if Hux could feel them in the dream. Since everything else was so realistic, he guessed that he could. He wasn't sure what exactly to do, so he rested his head on Hux's belly. He brought up a hand to it as well and gently rubbed the side. "C-can you say something sweet to them? They can hear, at this stage."

He wasn't very sure what to say, but managed to come up with, "Hello, you two. Your mother and I are really excited to meet you, and we both love you a whole lot." He didn't think that was very good, but when he looked up at Hux, the man was covering his mouth and had tears in his eyes. "Hux?"

"Sorry- I just... I really wish Ben would say that. I haven't even tried talking to them yet myself. I didn't realize how emotional I would get." He smiled. "My emotions have been a wreck, lately." Wiping his eyes, Hux tried to compose himself. 

"Do you want to do anything else?"

"How about we go back to the bedroom and you can rub my back? Oh-4 usually does it, but their hands are cold and blocky."

Finding the bedroom again was just as easy as finding the throne room. Hux sat down on the edge of the bed, and Ben got behind him. He gave him a massage. Hux seemed to like it, but he could tell he wasn't doing it as well as the droid did. Hux gave him a few tidbits of instruction, like 'lower' or 'a little to the right', but it didn't improve the quality of it all that much.

Eventually, Hux just leaned against him and pulled his hands around to his belly. Then he slipped his own hands underneath Ben's. "This is nice."

It really was. Ben almost didn't want Hux to ever wake up, so he could stay like this with him forever. "Mhmm."

"If only the real Ben was like you. I'd be a lot less stressed."

"Then you should talk to him. Maybe there was a misunderstanding."

"I'm too scared to. I don't think I can handle rejection again. Oh-4 says that I might go into early labor if I keep getting stressed so much. I'm only six months, the twins wouldn't do well."

"Hux..."

"I'm due when I'm in my eighth month, since twins usually come early. They'll be small, but they'll be all done developing and won't need to be in a medcenter. If something happens to them because I was too stupid to avoid a problem, then I won't be able to forgive myself." He sounded close to tears again, so Ben hugged him.

"How about this, if he comes to visit you, hear him out?"

"He wouldn't do that."

"Then you don't have to worry about it."

"I don't want to talk to you, I don't like this anymore. It's making me feel worse. Go away. Please let me wake up." Hux squeezed his eyes shut.

Ben woke up feeling even worse than he had when he first went to sleep.

-

"Are you alright, Emperor?" Oh-4 asked, handing him a brush.

"I had an awful dream."

"Pregnancy does tend to induce strange dreams or nightmares. Just forget about it, sir, it wasn't real. You have an ultrasound appointment today, so let's focus on getting ready for that!"

-

Ben decided not to try and visit Hux for a while. He didn't want to stress him out to the point where he'd go into premature labor away from a medcenter. He looked up on the HoloNet what would be the safest time, and decided he'd go visit as soon as Hux was eight months. That way, if he went into labor, it wouldn't be such a bad thing. It would also give him some time to relax and calm down.

-

He finally managed to start feeling happier, and tried to focus more on the twins. He had a nursery set up in a section of his bedroom, and chose a soft green theme for it. The two cribs were back to back, and he had one of his chairs moved over to the section so he'd be able to sit down and hold them during the night. The droids helped him set up a dresser that doubled as a changing table, and put the various toys and items he'd received as gifts into it.

It was relaxing to set everything up, and he rearranged things whenever he started feeling stressed. 

"Are you nesting again, Emperor?" Oh-4 asked him, coming back from fetching him lunch. He'd been mostly confined to his room as soon as he hit his seventh month, so Oh-4 and Mini had to go fetch his meals, a slightly difficult task as the kitchen was far away from his bedroom.

"Nesting?"

"Pregnant persons go through a phase where they want to rearrange everything and make their homes perfect before the baby or babies arrive."

He looked around at his room. He could do with some rearranging, he'd only been focused on the nursery. The rest of his room wasn't really suitable, and could use a thorough cleaning. "Do you think I should clean the room?"

"Emperor..."

"I could move the couch over."

"My apologies for making things more extreme, sir."

"No! This is a good thing. My room isn't very suitable for the twins at all..."

"Companion, I've ruined him," Oh-4 said to Mini as Hux waddled over to another spot in the room.

"Oh dear. Well, at least he's happy."

"Emperor, you need to eat before you start nesting any further!" Oh-4 caught up to him and steered him over to a chair. "And I know you want to rearrange everything, but please remember to get rest and not to do any heavy lifting. Mini and I can call someone up if you want to move anything too heavy."

-

As Hux brought over a pillow to the chair near the cribs, he felt some sort of discomfort in his belly. It didn't hurt, but it didn't feel good, either. "Oh-4?"

"Yes, Emperor?"

"Something feels wrong."

"What do you feel?" The droid was quickly by his side. 

"I don't know. A cramp, I suppose."

Oh-4 gave him a quick examination. "It must be a practice contraction!"

"A contraction?" He felt anxious. "Am I going into labor?"

"No, no! They're just small cramps your body has to prepare you for the big day. Usually they're too weak to feel, but sometimes they're uncomfortable. You'll have them through the remainder of your pregnancy. It's completely normal." He must not have looked convinced, because Oh-4 continued. "It's nothing to worry about! You won't go into labor for over another month or so. Calm down. Do you want to sit?"

He nodded, so Oh-4 guided him to the chair, taking the pillow from him and putting it down before he sat. "There's no need to be anxious, sir. Real labor is a lot more painful, and the contractions will come in intervals and increase in strength. Practice contractions come at random."

-

By the time his 36th week rolled around, Hux was exhausted and sore around the clock. The droids ordered him to take bedrest, and he agreed to it without any fuss, as he'd mostly been in bed anyways. He couldn't really get comfortable, and hoped the twins would come soon, though he dreaded the thought of experiencing labor.

Mini gathered him a bunch of videos and HoloNet articles when he asked it about what labor would be like, and then it went off to make something with Oh-4 for even more explanation. Hux was horrified as he looked over the material. It all seemed gruesome and painful. Mini had made sure to throw in lots of things about twin labors, and that didn't ease his worries at all.

The videos all showed mothers delivering with the help of droids, which Hux guessed was Mini trying to assure him that they would do great. It just made him dread the thought even more.

He made it a decent way through the material before the droids came back. Oh-4 projected the title slide of a slideshow, which they'd created themselves. It simply said 'LABOR' in large, bold letters. Mini clapped its hands together. "We've made this for you, Emperor!"

"How nice..."

"Since you're worried, we've prepared this informative slideshow to help you understand what will or might happen during your natural birth experience!"

"Here is the first slide, Sir!" Oh-4 went to the next slide. Hux felt embarrassed for them. They'd attempted to draw pictures themselves, so there was a horribly drawn picture of him holding his belly. The slide was titled, 'Contractions!!!!'. 

"You'll be able to tell when you're in labor because you'll start to have contractions! These differ from your practice contractions because they are felt in the back and throughout the abdomen. They're longer and more intense. However- there are ways to deal with them!"

The next slide was worse. They'd attempted to animate him. It was just two frames, of him doing some breathing thing, but it was there. It was definitely there, on loop, not stopping. He wanted to look away. "There are breathing exercises you can do to cope with the pain! You can also move around or have us massage you. And of course-" The next slide had drawing of him smiling and a picture of a syringe they must have gotten off the HoloNet. "There's always painkillers!"

The slides weren't over. "Another sign of labor is that your water will break! However, this might occur a few days before you actually go into labor, or might not occur at all. In that case, we'll just break it for you." They'd drawn themselves, Oh-4 holding some stick with a slight curve at the end, Mini holding its arms up.

Mini read the next slide. "Other side effects of labor are sweating, fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, and more!" They'd taken the previous picture of him and added a frowning face. He didn't like the idea of 'and more.'

"Then you'll start to feel pressure inside of you, and once Oh-4 confirms you are fully dilated, you will be allowed to begin pushing. Dilated means that your cervix, the little thing that's like a door to your womb," he knew what being dilated was, but didn't bother interrupting them, "is open to its full ten centimeters that will allow the twins to fit through!"

The next slide had a very poor quality image that looked like him laying down, Oh-4 between his legs, and Mini floating in the air. Oh-4 took over the talking again. "Once you start pushing it shouldn't take too long before the first twin comes out, maybe twenty minutes if things go smoothly." Mini tapped the projection and the image changed to having Oh-4 lifting up what Hux guessed was supposed to be a baby, something still dangling down attached to him. 

This whole thing wasn't making him feel better. It was making him feel worse. "After the first baby is born, Mini will cut the umbilical cord and clean the baby off! Then the second baby will be born around ten to fifteen minutes later, and you will be almost finished!"

"Almost?"

The next slide had a poor drawing of a blob and two long lines. "Within the next five minutes, you'll deliver the afterbirth, which is what is currently nourishing the twins! The cords come out as well! After that, we will clean you up and you will be all done!" Mini tapped the projection again and the picture turned to a happy him with two also smiling babies. "Of course, there are many complications that could occur, but we will be able to deal with all of them! We can easily deliver breech babies and can always perform surgery if something goes truly wrong or if you change your mind about delivering naturally."

"Hooray!" Mini clapped its hands. "And if things get to be too much for you to handle, and you don't want surgery, we can just suction the twins out!"

"Do you feel better, Emperor?"

"No."

-

Hux felt really stupid as he got into the position that the droids said would help the twins move so they would be head down at birth. The babies were squirming around and kicking, maybe moving into position, all they'd been doing the past few days, and he just felt uncomfortable. Kneeling down and resting his elbows on a pillow with his rear in the air was ridiculous.

The droids let him get up and lay down normally after he complained for the countless time. His next ultrasound was that evening, so he'd know if it worked by then. If not, the droids had more methods to try. He wasn't too keen on their suggestion of going to a medic that could shift the babies themselves, and hoped his discomfort paid off. The babies were squirming, so he rubbed his belly to calm them. After they both had their fill with kicking at his hands, they relaxed.

Hux picked up his datapad and opened up the holorecord he'd been reading. He'd gotten sick of going through all the labor and parenting material that the droids had gathered for him, growing anxious when he did, and had taken to reading about the Old Republic. It was horribly flawed, which made it interesting to read about. The droids were glad he'd found a soothing way to pass the time while he waited for the twins to come.

"Oh, Emperor! Mini just came up with a splendid idea!"

"What is it?"

"If you do not want to wait for labor to begin, I could always induce it for you whenever you're ready!"

"But isn't it better if I carry them as close to full term as possible?"

"Yes, but it won't hurt them to be born soon. They'll just be a bit small."

"I'd rather let things happen naturally." While he was getting the urge to go back to work and stop laying around, he ignored it. It'd be much better for the twins if he let them come when they wanted to, and not any sooner, unless medically necessary.

-

A few days later, Hux woke up with a bad feeling. The twins were both in position, his back was aching, and he just knew that he'd be going into labor soon. It was like the twins could sense something bad was going to happen, and were projecting it to him. That had to be it. He got ready for the day anyways, going into the refresher to change and shower.

As he pulled off his shirt, there was a feeling of wetness between his legs. "Oh-4!"

"Yes, Emperor?" The droid entered the room, Mini close by its shoulder.

"I think my water broke." 

Mini hovered over and down to inspect him. Oh-4 awaited the smaller droid's response. "It looks like it, Companion! Hooray, Sir, you're one step closer to giving birth!"

"That's right, Emperor! You should start having contractions soon! Your water's going to be 'breaking' for a while at this rate, so take your time in the sanistream, sir. Please tell us when you feel any cramping."

"I just feel like something bad is going to happen."

"Pre-birth nerves, Sir! Do not worry, we are expertly programmed! The twins are at peak health and you are in good condition! Shall we start getting your bed ready for the birth?"

"Yes, that would be good." Maybe it was just nerves. Everything was secure and in place, there was nothing that could go wrong that the droids couldn't handle. All he needed to do was relax and wait. He'd go through the day as calmly as possible, catch up on more reading and do as the droids say. 

He took a long shower, and spent a while drying off with a towel before dressing in what Oh-4 had referred to as his labor clothing; a comfortable outfit consisting of just a tank top and shorts that would likely get ruined by the time the twins were out. He didn't feel any more wetness, so his water was done breaking.

Exiting the refresher, he could see the droids were done setting up the bed. He waddled over to his blue couch and sat down. Mini came over to help him prop up his legs, and he leaned back. Oh-4 was busy going over supplies, so Mini brought him his datapad and a glass of water.

"Are you hungry, Emperor?"

"I'm too nervous to eat."

"I will get you a nutrient bar! Relax until I come back."

He did his best to relax, but soon his belly cramped up. He hunched over, and realized what the droids had meant by real contractions feeling different from practice ones. This one spread throughout his whole belly and his back. The pain wasn't entirely horrible, but wasn't comfortable either.

"Ugh... Oh-4, I just had a contraction."

"How did it feel?"

"It wasn't horrible. It was short."

"That's good. They'll increase in power, length, and frequency over the next few hours, so you'll be able to adjust with them."

"How long does a normal birth last?"

"13 hours, Sir! Yours will be just a few minutes longer, because of the second baby. However, your labor could take much longer, or be much shorter. Pacing helps speed up contractions, but I would not recommend too much of it for you."

"How long do you think mine will last?"

"I think yours will either be over a full day, or be just a few hours, possibly shorter."

He didn't like either of those guesses. "Can you alert the staff that I'm in labor and not to be disturbed for anything less than an evacuation or full blown attack?"

"Of course, Sir!"

-

He ate the nutrient bar Mini brought for him. Oh-4 had started a timer for his contractions, but he hadn't yet had another one. A few minutes after he finished the bar, he felt another contraction. "It's starting."

"That was fifteen minutes and 27 seconds, Sir!"

Over the next two hours, the contractions increased in frequency at what Hux thought was an alarming rate. The droids had him pace for a bit, and eventually he sat down in his armchair, nauseous and groaning loud.

As he moaned again, Oh-4 chimed, "Three minutes, Sir!" He was sweating and flushed. The droids had tried to get him to move to the bed, but as he stood up, a contraction made him almost fall. Oh-4 had to push him back to the chair so he wouldn't hit the floor. The sudden movement had made him puke. After cleaning up, the droids pushed over an ottoman to elevate his feet.

Mini coaxed him through the contraction, and he forced himself to breathe. There was a lot of pressure, which only made him feel worse, but no urge to push. He held his belly, hunched over it. "You're doing very well, Sir!" He didn't feel like he was doing well at all, and wanted to give up. It hurt far too much. As the pain peaked, he leaned back and shouted. Mini patted his shoulder

His door chimed, and Oh-4 went to it. A trooper handed the droid a box, and Oh-4 dismissed them. "Emperor, the painkillers are here!" The droid came back, and opened up the box. It pulled out a syringe. "Mini, take off his shirt and move him forward."

"Yes, Companion!" Mini pulled off his shirt and set it aside. The droid tugged his arm. "Scoot forward!" He managed to obey, groaning. Oh-4 carefully injected the painkillers.

"There you go, Sir! You should start feeling relief in about ten to fifteen minutes."

"Ten minutes...?"

"That's only two more contractions before the pain is dulled! Would you like your shirt back?"

He nodded, and Mini put it back on him. After a moment, he rolled it up so his belly was exposed. He rubbed it, feeling the twins moving around. They'd been squirming ever since he went into labor, and Hux guessed that they were picking up his feelings of discomfort through the Force. He tried to focus on them and relax during the reprieve.

During his next contraction, one of the twins kicked, making it even more uncomfortable as it set the other baby off. He rubbed his belly to try and calm them down, but they wouldn't. He wished that instead of the twins sensing his discomfort and panicking, that they would sense it and know not to bother him and possibly be born faster. He knew it was going to hurt even more the closer they were to coming out, but he was getting tired.

While he did his best to cope with the pain, the door buzzed. 

"I thought we sent out an alert for no one to bother the Emperor! Mini, go tell them to go away." Oh-4 patted Hux's hand. "Keep breathing, sir. You don't want to feel light headed."

"Yes, Companion!" Mini darted to the door. The droid opened the door. "Go away, we sent out an- you! Leave, right now!"

"Wh-what's going on?" Hux tried to look, but Oh-4 pressed on his shoulder to keep him leaned back. He groaned, hoping the twins would hurry up.

"You're not allowed near him!" Mini shouted. "You're awful to him!"

"Move over, droid."

It sounded like Ben. Hux squeezed his eyes shut, not wanting to see him. "T-tell Ben to go away."

"Yes, sir!" 

Ben came closer. "Hux, I need to talk to you!"

"He doesn't want to, he wants you to go away!" Oh-4 got between them. Hux was glad the contraction finally faded. "You've been nothing but awful to him!"

"This has all been a big misunderstanding! Hux, please hear me out." Hux shook his head, refusing to look at him. "I know you're upset, but I need to explain. When you sent me that first message, I didn't listen to all of it. I had no idea you were pregnant until that gathering."

Did Ben actually expect him to believe that? He'd said it almost immediately in the message. The twins squirmed. He bit his lip. Ben waited for him to respond, but he refused.

"Hux. Remember that dream you had about me? The one where we danced in the throne room and you showed me the crown you got me? That was me. The Force let me into your dream. That can be a reality!"

"That was months ago! Don't go in my head!"

"Please-"

"Go away! Leave us alone. I don't want you near the twins." Despite it all, he still did. Hux felt like crying. Ben was a cruel person, and was probably here to do something awful to the twins. 

"I know that's not true. Let me help you."

"No! Get away from me!"

"Armitage, please, I'm so sorry I haven't been here for you! I don't want to keep making a mistake and miss out on the twins' lives. I want us to have something like we did in that dream, for us to raise the twins together."

"If you were really in that dream, why didn't you show up sooner?"

Ben opened his mouth, but hesitated. Finally, he said, "I knew you wouldn't believe me, so I didn't want you to stress out and go into labor too early."

"So you just show up when I'm in labor?"

"I didn't know until I got here!"

"You're a horrible liar, and I hate you." Ben had to have known. The guards would have told him to leave him be, as the whole staff knew he was in labor. "Leave me... oh... Oh, kriff-" He groaned with his next contraction, holding his belly. Why couldn't the painkiller work sooner? 

Mini came back to monitor his vitals. "Breathe, Sir. This should be the last bad one before the medication kicks in." He forced himself to breathe slowly, groaning with each exhale. He closed his eyes as it peaked, shouting, and Mini chirped soothingly. 

Ben came over and took his hand. Hux was in too much pain to yank it away, so he just squeezed, gritting his teeth. Oh-4 pushed Ben aside so it could wipe Hux's forehead with a cool cloth. "You're doing well, Sir. Commencing scan now." Oh-4 scanned him. "Just two more centimeters to go before you're ready to begin pushing, Emperor! Try to relax."

"Hurts..."

"It will be much easier once the painkillers kick in. Breathe and relax. What do you feel?"

"P-pressure."

"That's the twins! They're almost ready to be born!" Hux wasn't too encouraged, but he appreciated that Oh-4 was trying. "Won't it be exciting to meet them? Do your breathing exercises, Emperor!"

He'd thought the droids were exaggerating how much he'd need to focus on breathing normally, but they hadn't been. He did his best to do the breathing techniques they'd shown him until the pain faded away. It didn't feel as horrible at the end, so the painkiller was finally kicking in.

Oh-4 dabbed at his face with the cloth again. "Mini, bring the Emperor some water. He needs to stay hydrated."

"Yes, Companion!"

Hux didn't want to drink any water, still feeling nauseous, but took it anyways when Mini pressed the glass to his lips. After a few sips, the droid was satisfied and took it away. Hux tried to relax in his chair, ignoring the fact that Ben was standing right next to him, holding his hand. 

When his next contraction came, it still hurt, but not unbearably so. The painkiller was finally working. He sighed in relief, rubbing his belly. One of the twins kicked.

"Do you want to move to the bed?" Ben asked him.

Hux shook his head. He'd vomit again if he tried to stand, and he didn't want to have to try and get comfortable again. He was already relaxed in the chair, it'd be difficult to get into a good position on the bed. 

"You really want to give birth on a chair?"

"Stop talking to him! He's comfortable where he is, so leave him be!" Oh-4 tried to push him away, but Ben kept his footing. 

Mini made a small chirp, bringing over an armful of towels. The little droid was tasked with gathering supplies as Hux got closer to being fully dilated. As its companion bickered with Ben, it took Oh-4's place to check his vitals. Seeing no cause for concern, it went back to gathering towels. 

After it had amassed a small mound of towels, Mini fetched some more water, refilling the small bowl that was on the side table. 

Ben and Oh-4's arguing was getting annoying. He was tired and in pain, he didn't need the extra stress. He yanked his hand away from Ben, and snapped, "Shut up, Ben!"

"The droid-"

"Is doing its job, leave it alone! All your noise isn't making me feel any better! If you absolutely have to be here, be quiet and don't bother me. I just want to have the twins in peace." 

"I-" Ben stopped himself. "Sorry. I'll stop talking."

Oh-4 nudged him aside so it could take Hux's wrist, strapping a device to it that it removed from a compartment in its body. Hux had seen Mini fiddling with the different devices the past few days, ensuring that they all worked. "This will keep an eye on your pulse and other vitals while we focus on the twins, Emperor." 

Mini pulled another device from the back of Oh-4's blocky body, a larger one with a bigger strap, and gave it to its companion. Oh-4 put it around Hux's belly. "This will monitor the twins' pulses and record your contractions. I'd estimate another half hour before you begin pushing. Would you like anything?"

-

"Breathe and push, Emperor." If it was anyone but the droids telling him that, he would have snapped at them. Instead, he did his best to listen whenever they reminded him to breathe. It was getting harder as the pain got worse. Either the painkillers were wearing off, or the contractions had gotten a lot worse, because everything hurt. The pressure inside of him was almost unbearable.

Oh-4 had his legs spread wide, prepared to catch the babies with two smaller arms it had apparently kept tucked inside of its body the past few months. Although he felt like the birth was going slowly, Oh-4 had assured him the first baby was coming at a steady pace. He didn't feel like he was making much progress as he bore down, groaning.

Eventually, he could feel a burning sensation between his legs. "The first twin is starting to crown, Sir." He nodded, panting. He bore down with his next contraction, groaning. It felt like he was splitting apart as it reached a full crown. Oh-4 told him to go easy as the head came out. The seconds seemed to drag on forever until Oh-4 cheerfully announced, "The head is out, Emperor!"

Hux was glad that he couldn't see past his belly, because Ben looked pale when he looked. Mini made a quiet noise that might have been the droid's equivalent of a snicker. 

"Don't you dare faint, Organa." It actually helped him a bit to be crushing the man's hand, he didn't want to lose that. He'd kill him if he had the audacity to faint while he was giving birth. Or, at least, have the droids kill him. He was giving birth, he couldn't do it himself.

"I won't." He didn't sound so sure.

"Push, Sir!"

It took him a while to get the shoulders out, so Oh-4 spread his legs more. That helped, and he felt impossibly stretched as they passed. He didn't want to think about how he'd have to do this all over again with the second twin. The droid told him to give a big push, and he shouted as he bore down. The next few pushes seemed to blur together, and he was vaguely aware of the droid encouraging him. All the pressure suddenly vanished as the baby slipped out, and he leaned back, panting. New pressure began building up as the next twin started to move down.

"Congratulation, Emperor, the first twin is a girl!"

The baby started to cry, and the droids tended to her. Ben said something to him, but Hux was too tired to listen to what he said. Ben kissed his forehead, and he didn't bother telling him not to do that. 

Mini held up the baby to him. "You can hold her once you're done!" Hux doubted he'd stay awake long enough to hold the twins once they were out. He planned on sleeping as soon as this was all over. 

"Can I hold her?" Ben asked.

"No."

Another contraction began, and Hux groaned. Oh-4 took its place back between Hux's legs, and spread them again. "Ready, Sid?" He shook his head. "The second twin is usually easier than the first!" Hux didn't like the sound of usually. Still, the baby needed to come out, so he pushed.

The stretch of the second baby wasn't as bad as the first, though it still hurt. He bore down when the droid told him to, ignoring everything else so that it could go as quickly as possible. 

He listened when there was a warning beep from Mini. "Companion, the infant's heart rate has increased," Mini quipped. "No immediate signs of a complication detected."

The first twin was wailing, squirming around. Hux was hesitant to push, worried that something was going wrong. "Oh-4?" The droid didn't have an answer.

Ben, however, did. "The baby's reaching out with the Force. They've never been separated, so they're upset."

"They'll be happy once they're reunited then, Sir! There's no need to worry. Keep pushing."

He took a moment to calm himself down, and then pushed, squeezing his eyes shut. It burned all over again as the baby crowned. Ben brushed the hair from his forehead, and he resisted the urge to lean into his touch. He stroked his cheek. If he wasn't in the middle of giving birth, Hux would have been embarrassed by how sweaty he was. 

A bit hysterical from the exhaustion and pain, he thought about how he definitely looked like a mess. He sincerely hoped the droids weren't recording or taking any holographs for memories. He'd be humiliated if he had to see what he looked like with a baby partway out between his legs, shouting as he bore down.

The second twin came faster than the first did, his body opened up from the first. Oh-4 announced that the head was out, and Hux realized he was starting to feel a bit faint. 

"Push harder, Emperor. You're losing a little blood." 

"That's not a _little_ , droid." Ben snapped. "That's a lot."

Hux didn't want to hear that he was losing a lot of blood. It scared him, and he didn't want to panic when he was so close to being done. Mini took a break from tending to the first baby and patted his arm to comfort him when his heart rate went up.

Squeezing Ben's hand, he shoved hard. Ben rubbed his back. It didn't help at all, but the thought behind it was nice.

"You're doing great, Hux."

"Kriff, be quiet..."

"Don't swear in front of the babies."

"They don't understand, it doesn't matter!" Oh-4 quipped that a shoulder was out. Hux panted. "Pfassk!" He cursed as he bore down again. 

"Relax, Sir, you're tensing up." He couldn't relax. Giving birth was stressful, and the baby's crying didn't do much to ease his nerves. Plus, he felt even more faint. There was a feeling of tugging, and he gasped as the baby came out. "Another girl, Sir! Companion, take the infant while I tend to the Emperor."

"Yes, Companion." The cord was cut, and Mini took the second twin. Hux leaned back in the chair, groaning. He wanted to pass out, but Ben was patting his face to keep him awake. He tried to wave him off, but it didn't work. 

Oh-4 cleaned him up, putting a fresh towel underneath him. Hux wished he hadn't looked when Oh-4 discarded the blood soaked towel that was already there. "The bleeding should stop once you pass the afterbirth, Emperor." Right, it wasn't completely over just yet. 

The babies ceased crying when Mini laid them together. Hux looked over at them, wanting to see his children, but Oh-4 told him to push. Ben paled again, and Hux growled, "I'm the only one who gets to faint, Ben."

"Don't faint, Sir!" Mini protested. "You've got to feed the twins!" He just wanted to sleep and take a shower. He was drained and covered in sweat and tears. Oh-4 cleaned up again, taking Hux's sweat soaked shirt with him, and Mini gave Hux the babies, each bundled up.

He could put off resting and bathing for now. The babies squirmed a bit when they were given to him, but quickly settled. Mini helped him hold them correctly, and turned their heads so they would start feeding. They began to nurse, and Hux relaxed.

"They're beautiful, Hux."

He still wasn't sure whether or not he wanted Ben there. It seemed he was stuck with him for now, regardless of how he felt about him and his presence. He pushed away those thoughts, turning his attention to the babies. Now wasn't the time to debate whether or not he trusted Ben, now was the time to be happy that his babies were finally here.

Although he was really feeling faint now. Ben said something to him, but he couldn't make what it was.

-

Hux opened his eyes. His whole body felt tired. He wanted to go back to sleep, but Oh-4 invaded his vision, saying cheerfully, "You're awake, Emperor! Good morning!" The droid was rather loud, so he kept his eyes open.

He was on his bed, with blankets on top of him, covering the fact that he was shirtless. He tried to sit up, but stopped when he realized how sore his lower body was, wincing. Giving birth had lasting effects, of course. That reminded him. "Where are the babies?" He looked around, and stopped when he found them. Ben was holding them, sitting at his desk chair. A toy was floating above them.

One of the twins whined, and Ben looked up. The toy set down on the desk, and Ben smiled. "You're up. How are you feeling?" He stood, and came over to the bed. Hux reached for the twins, and Ben handed them to him. He helped him sit up a bit, moving more pillows behind him.

"Sore. Tired."

"Your droids said you would be. The twins have been doing well, a medic came and gave them exams. They're completely healthy... and both are Force sensitive."

"Emperor!" Mini pushed Ben aside. "Organa did something to myself and my Companion!" The little droid sounded like it was whining.

"I updated them," Ben grumbled. "They're just mad that I didn't ask you for permission."

"What did you do to my droids?"

"I know how much you like them, so I found nanny droid software. It's downloading into them now. So they can help us raise the twins."

That was nice of him. "Mini, Oh-4, the programming isn't bad. Do not try to delete it." He adjusted his hold on the twins when one squirmed. She began to nurse, and he wondered how long he'd been unconscious if they were already hungry again. The second twin followed suit. "Thank you, Ben. I appreciate that."

"Will you let me?" Ben sat on the edge of the bed.

"Let you what?" He knew what, but was still unsure of how to answer.

Ben leaned in close. His eyes searched over Hux's face, and then looked down at the babies. One of their tiny hands was peaking out of their blankets, so Ben tucked it back in. Stars, he was close. Hux felt like a lovestruck fool again. It was as if they were back in a senator's office, having one of their 'meetings,' and Hux was pretending they were secret lovers as his heart rate picked up speed.

Only this wasn't then, and Ben was leaning in to kiss him with a gentleness and affection he'd never shown before. 

The droids ruined it, still viewing Ben as an enemy. Oh-4 pulled the man away from him. "The Emperor needs his rest, Organa!"

"Droid, we're in the middle of something."

"Don't antagonize Oh-4, Ben. It's alright, you two, I want to talk to him." The two stood down. "Ben, if you truly do want to, I would like your help in raising the twins. But... as for everything between us... It will have to wait. Eventually, we might achieve something like my dream."

**Author's Note:**

> Leia fucking loves her granddaughters when she meets them.  
> Follow/talk to me on Tumblr: @Oblioknowlton and @Tinybibmpreg


End file.
